Grain-car door



a H. w. LARSON GRAIN CAR noon v Filed July 12, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mar. 3,

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' Mar. 3, 1925.

H. W. LARSON GRgIN'cAR DOOR Filed July 12. 1924 v 2 Shee gym/vent: HARRY L Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES HARRY W. LARSON, 0F PINGREE, NORTH DAKOTA.

GBAIN- CAR DOOR.

A lication filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARRY W. LARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pingree, in the county of Stutsman and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain- Car Doors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to grain car doors, and aims to provide novel and improved means for retaining in place across the door opening a grain tight door, and permitting said door to be opened conveniently for starting the discharge of ain. v

Another object is the provision of novel means for suspending the door for outward and inward movement through the door opening and for raising the door so that it can be moved out of the. way.

It is also an object for the invention to provide such a door structure which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, and whichwill be economical to install and maintain.

With the foregoing and other objects inview, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention isillustrated int-he accompanyingdrawing, wherein- Figure 1-is an inside view of the improved door construction showing the door in closed positionin full lines and in open position in dotted lines, when removed from the door opening. I

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an outside elevation ofthe struc-' ture.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on 1-4: of Fig. 1. f j j Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 55 of Fig. 1. j 3

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of-the chain. hook and clamp. r

The car wall is designated at 10, and has the door opening 11 with the posts 12 and 13 of the door frame at the opposite sides of said opening. The grain door 14, which I the line 924. Serial No. 725,639.

may be of wood, metal, or other material, is of a width slightly less than the width of the opening-11 so that said door can move inwardly and outwardly through said openmg.

When the door 14 is in closed position, its lower edge seats on the floor or deck of the car body, and one vertical edge portion of the door overlaps the post 12 at the inner side thereof. A vertical strip'15 of suitable metal is-secured to the inner side of the post 12 and has an inwardly ofl'set flange 16 overlapping the door 14 to hold the door against the post 12, the corresponding edge portion of the door being slid between the post 12 and flange 16. The flange 16 has a head 17 bearing against the inner side of the door 14 to provide a grain tight fit, so as to prevent grain from leaking out between the strip 15 and door. The flange 16 is resilient so as to press the head 17 tightly against the door, and the corresponding vertical edge portion of the door is rounded oil, as at 18, to permit the opposite vertical ed e portion of the door to move outwardly through the door opening.

A latch plate 19, which is of substantially the same height as the door 14, overlaps the outer side of the door at that vertical edge thereof opposite to the post 12. The plate 19 is slidably connected to the door 1 1. Thus, the plate has horizontal "slots 23 receiving bolts 24 engaged through the door 11. When the opposite edgeof the door is moved between the post 12 and flange 16, the edge of the door 14 adjacent to the post 13 is spaced from said post, as seen in Fig. 2, and the plate 19 is slid behind the post 13 to overlap the inner side of said post. A vertical strip 20 is secured to the inner side of the post 13 and has an inwardly oflset flange 21 to receive the plate 19, said plate being projected between the post 13 and flange 21. The flange 21 is resilient and has a bead 22 to bear against the inner side of the plate 19 and prevent leakage of grain.

In order to slide the plate 19, vertically spaced bell crank levers 25 are fulcrumed, as at 26, to the door 1 1, and rods or links 27 are pivoted to said levers and extend throu h ears 28 with which the plate 19 is provi ed at its upper and lower ends at that edge ofthe plate opposite to the'edge. which projects from the door to engage behind the post 13.- The ears 28 are bent outwardly, and nuts 29 are threaded on the rods 27 at opposite sides of the ears 28 and permit the rods 27 to be adjusted relatively to the plate 19. Links 30 connect the levers 25 with the opposite arms of a lever 31fulcrumed, as at 32, to the door 14, whereby the swinging movement of the lever 31 will, throughthe links 30, levers 25 and rods 27, move the upper and lower extremities of the plate 19 simultaneously A handle 33 is connected to the lever 31 by a springhinge 34, for convenience in swinging thelever 31 to project and retract the plate 19, and in order to hold the plate 19 in projected position, a wedge shaped keeper 35 is carried by the door 14' so that the handle 33 will snap over said keeper when the lever 31 is swung to project the plate 19,thus preventing the lever 31 from moving in the opposite direction. However, the handle 33 can be conveniently swung outwardly by hand away from the keeper 35, thereby permitting the lever 31 tobe swung downwardly for retracting the plate 19, when it is desired to open the door.

A wear plate 36 is preferably secured on the sill of the door frame, and is of suitable sheet metal to protect the sill from wear.

A horizontal track 38 is carried by the car wall 10 at the inner side thereof and ex tends above the door opening 11, and carriages 39 work within said track and extend through the longitudinal slot in the bottom of the track. Said carriages have wheels 40 moving on the bottom flanges of the track at the oppositesides of the slot. The door 14 is suspended from said carriages. Thus, pulley wheels 41 are carried by the depending portions of, the carriages below the track, and a chain or flexible element 42 extends over the pulley wheels 41 and has its ends. anchored or secured, as at 43, to the door 14.

A stay or tie bar 44 extends under the track 38 and has its ends secured to the carriages 39 for spacing them apart.- The bar 44 is'provided between its ends with an upwardly offset portion 45 extending up through the slot of the track into the'track, and wheels 46 are pivotally connected with said portion 45' totravel in. the track, thereby supporting the intermediate portion of the bar 44 against sagging; Furthermore, the offset 45' leaves an opening above themtermed-iate portion of the chain or flexible eleliient 42 whereby the chain can be caught hold of between its ends for pullingthe intermediateportionof the chain down so as toraise the door 14.

In order to hold the door in raised position, a plate 47 is secured to the inner side of the door near thellower edge of the door, and'has ahook 48 under which the inter mediate portion of thechai'n 42 can beengaged when said intermediate portion of the chain ispulled downwardly to raise the door, as seen in dotted lines'in Fig. 1. An eccentric clamp 49 is pivoted to the plate 47 and has a handle 50, whereby the clamp 49 can be swung to clamp the chain upwardly against the hook 48, thereby preventing accidental detachment of the chain from said hook.

The door 14 is of less height than the opening 11, so that when the door is closed, the car can be filledover the door, said door having beenpositioned as seen in Fig. 2, with the latch plate 19 projected behind the post 13. 'lVhen the latch plate 19 is projec-ted it contacts with the offset flange 21 and forces thedoor 14 toward the opposite side between the post 12 and flange 16.

The discharge of grain is readily started. The handle is swung outwardly and downwardly to retract the plate 19, thereby releasing the door 14 at the corresponding vertical edge. Said door will swing outwardly owing to the pressure of grain against the inner side of the door, thereby withdrawing the opposite vertical edge of the door from behind the post 12. This will permit the door to move outwardly throughthe opening 11 and swing upwardly while suspended by the chain 42. After the door has been opened and the discharge of grain started,'the' intermediate portion of the chain 42' can be pulled down behind the door 14 and engage with the hook 48, thereby raising the door. The door 14 can then be swung upwardly toward the ceiling of the car and held in such upwardly swung position by' any suitable means, or the door can he slid along the track 38 to one side of the opening 11, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

As shown, the car wall 10 has blocks or seats 51 secured thereto against which the door 14 can bear, and offset keepers 52 are secured to said blocks to engage the edges of the door 14 to hold said door in place. A catch 53 is pivoted rothe post 12- to swing into engagement with the corresponding vertical edge portion of the door 14 for holding-the door in the keepers The door 14 and means for retaining same in closed position canbe' used in wagons, and the door may constitute an end gate for a wagon body.

Having thus described the l11\"G1]t10]1,'Wl1 at is claimed as new is':--

1. A door structure comprising posts at the opposite sides-of a door opening, a door adapted to pass bet-ween said posts, means for suspending the door for'swinging movements inthe door opening, onevertical'edge portion of the door being adapted to overlap one post with the other vertical edge portion spaced from the other post, and a latch plate carried by the door at the lastnamed edge portion thereof to be projected so as 50 Overlap the seeondnamed" post,-

whereby when said plate is retracted the lastnamed edge portion of the door is free to swing within the door opening and where by the firstnamed edge portionof the door is prevented from swinging in said door opening until the door is shifted lengthwise away from the firstnamed post.

2. A door structure comprising posts at the opposite sides of a door opening, a door adapted to pass between said posts, means for suspending the door for swinging movements in the door opening, one vertical edge portion of the door being adapted to overlap one post with the other vertical edge portion spaced from the other post, a latch plate carried by the door at the lastnamed edge portion thereof to be projected so as to overlap the secondnamed post, whereby when said plate is retract-ed the lastnamed edge portion of the door is free to swing within the door opening and whereby the firstnamed edge portion of the door is prevented from swinging in said door opening until the door is shifted lengthwise away from the .tirstnamed post, and strips secured to said posts and having ottsetflanges to receive the flrstnamed vertical edge portion of the door and said plate.

3. A door structure comprising a door frame, a door, a track extending over the door opening, a pair of carriages movable along the track, pulley wheels carried by said carriages, a tie bar connecting said carriages and a flexible element extending over said pulley wheels and having its endsconnected to the door and its intermediate portion between the pulley wheels, for suspending the door from the carriages and for raising the door when the intermediate portion of flexible element is pulled down between said pulley wheels.

4;. A door structure comprising a door frame, a door movable through said frame, a track extending over the door opening, a pair of carriages movable along the track and having depending portions, pulley wheels carried by saidv depending portions, a tie bar connecting said carriages, a flexible element extending over said pulley wheels and having its ends secured to the door for suspending the door from the carriages and for raising the door when the intermediate portion of the flexible element is pulled downwardly, and means carried by the door for the engagement of the intermediate portion of said flexible element when the door is raised.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

HARRY W. LARSON. 

